Heartracer – The Feel

By starrymag | November 8, 2022

By: Alejandra Gil M.

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

A) I think there are many factors that contribute to the “Heartracer” sound. It helps when you have multiple members in the band because it allows us to draw on several influences when we come together. For me, personally, the British new wave era probably inspires our sound more than anything in terms of it’s instrumentation. Usually this consists of big sounding reverbed drums, some killer chorus-y guitar tones, some dreamy synths all culminating in some memorable vocal line that I can belt at the top of my lungs. [laughs]  In terms of the songwriting process for Heartracer I always aim to make something that can engage the listener intellectually, physically and emotionally at the same time. I like to think that our best songs can check all three of those boxes.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

A) The bands you would think of when you listen to us are probably in the lineup like Aha, Tears for Fears and Duran Duran but being an American I also grew up listening to a lot of more traditional American singer songwriters such as Dylan, Neil Young, Johnny Cash, etc. Their music was obviously much more bare bones in terms of production, therefore the focus had to be making the lyrics and the melody as strong as possible. That’s usually the hardest part of songwriting anyways. The rest of the production is just fun in terms of the ambient layers, fx and vintage synthesizers we use. My brother Chip and I also have a love for ambient/electronic music such as Tangerine Dream, Jon Hopkins, Brian Eno, David Helpling, Ulrich Schnauss and Hammock.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind “Edge of My Heart.”

A) I wrote this song and another single we have called “Date Night” in the same day while in lockdown. Originally “Edge of My Heart” had a different song title because the chorus was different. My brother Chip then came in and wrote the hook guitar line that you hear throughout the song and that influenced a new melody and vocal idea which ultimately became “the edge of my heart.” The way I view the lyrics is in the power of love to create real lasting change between people. I’m singing from the perspective of someone who essentially feels saved by the relationship that they have. It’s a pretty positive song which can be tough to do and not sound cheesy in my opinion.

 

Q) “Edge of My Heart” is out now and will be featured on your forthcoming album The Feel. What was your song writing process like? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

A) The best is when the lyrics sort of outgrew from the feeling the chords give you. In many ways it happens simultaneously. Sometimes the initial lyric isn’t quite what you wanted to say but close. On this record I definitely combed over the lyrics a bit more to just make sure the message felt not only coherent but relevant.

 

Q) The single was also released with a stripped performance video recorded from an iPhone 10 – no editing except for black and white filter. What was the creative process behind it?

A) The interesting part behind that was I was supposed to perform and play the piano at a friends’ wedding. Days before the wedding the groom got COVID and so the wedding date had to be changed. Most things were already set up for wedding so I said, “Well, I might as well make use of this piano being here.” So, we decided to make a short video. There is something about capturing the footage completely raw too that I find compelling. These days it’s so easy to hide behind tricks.

 

Q) It feels like the ongoing theme for “Edge of My Heart” is giving listeners hope that there is real, genuine love out there – like this is one track we can listen to when we feel defeated and hopeless in love. What do you hope people take away from it?

A) I think it’s important to hear a genuinely positive story of love these days because we are so inundated with negative stories of love whether it be a breakup or a divorce settlement or an abusive situation. I think If there is anything the listener could take away is that there is someone for you out there, they may be just as broken as you are, but maybe together the sum is greater than the parts. Love, and the sacrifice for it has the potential to transform even the most damaged person.

 

Q) The Feel already has two singles out: “Edge of My Heart” & “TXT ME BACK.” What are some other themes you explore on the album?

A) During quarantine the themes of isolation/death and re-connection/life kept showing up in the songs – how those themes compare to each other. We start a song about destruction in “World on Fire” and end with a theme of reconnection in our final track “Let’s Talk.” The second song “Through the Motions” is about the redundancy that occurred when we were all in lockdown. “Living Like A Ghost” deals with mental health.

 

Q) Which song(s) off the album were more challenging for you creatively and why?

A) I can honestly say looking back that none of the songs felt particularly challenging. None of these songs were forced in anyway. The worst thing for songwriting is to try to force things and drum up music when the inspiration isn’t there. Patience is important. Hence why there’s that famous saying about when a band puts out an album and it becomes really popular there is always this huge demand for a follow up and it’s hardly ever as good. Great art takes time and patience and genuine inspiration. If I was forced to pick it would probably be “Let’s Talk” because it’s the longest song we’ve ever done, and the second half has a very different tone.

 

Q) Are you gearing up for a tour to promote The Feel or is the group more focused on releasing singles for the time being?

A) We would love to promote The Feel through a tour. You can tell when listening to the music that it really yearns for a live environment. We want to drum up as much excitement for this album as possible and then we will see what happens. The UK is somewhere we would love to play.

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

A) Well, we just finished up doing a collaboration on our song “Living Like A Ghost” with a Grammy nominated artist named David Helpling. He’s been one of our favorite ambient artists for years, so we are thrilled. Jon Hopkins would be pretty cool to collaborate with.

 

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them?

A) I’ve been listening to a lot of The Köln Concert by Keith Jarrett – one of the most amazing live jazz performances ever recorded and it’s just one guy playing a piano. I like to listen to music very different from what I’m constantly working on all day. Also, it’s in a realm of music that I don’t fully understand which makes it interesting. Also, Bob Marley’s Babylon by Bus album never gets old.

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

A) It’s important because one of the most gratifying things about being a musician is letting people connect with what you are doing. Not being able to share what we create would take all the fun out of it. Social media is just another way for us to do that.

 

Q) What would you like to say to fans and supporters of you and your music?

A) I would like to say thank you for digging deep and finding out music because I know it’s not easy these days unless you really look for it. Oh, and tell your friends to check out playheartracer.com!

 

 

All Questions Answered By Chris Cosby